Winning English - Mastering Idioms, Slang, and References
Cut to the chase • It’s on me • That's on me • -ish • Dumpster fire
We have all felt trapped sometimes by a person who talks and talks, but doesn’t reach a clear conclusion. Maybe it’s a small child or a business colleague. It’s likely that you have wanted to say, “Cut to the chase!”
Photo by Max Ostwalt on Unsplash
“Cut to the chase” is a common phrase people use when they want someone to clearly say what they want. It comes from the world of movies. Many movies have one or more “chase scenes”. The characters are pursuing one another, either by running or driving, and always at a high speed. Chase scenes usually come at the end of a movie or at the end of part of a movie. So, when someone says “cut to the chase”, they want you to come to the end. Be careful with this phrase. It can be rude, especially if you appear angry as you say it. You can also use this phrase on yourself, too. For example, if you realize you’re talking too long, you might say, “Well, to cut to the chase…”.
You and a friend have just had a fun time having coffee together. You are feeling generous, so when it comes time to pay, you tell your friend, “It’s on me!”
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
When you say, “it’s on me”, you are saying that you will pay the entire bill for something. This is appropriate for casual and business settings.
However, while you were having coffee with your friend, you had to explain why you canceled your last meeting. You explain that you overslept. You might say, “That’s on me.”
When you say “that’s on me”, you are accepting responsibility for a mistake. This phrase can be used in casual or business situations. And it can be used as a plural, as well. For example, you might have to explain to your boss why a shipment was delayed. You might be forced to say, “That’s on us. Our system went down, and it took two hours to bring it back on line.”
You and your friend have scheduled another coffee. You agreed to meet at 2:30 pm, but when the times comes, your friend isn’t there. Your phone rings. Your friend says, “I’ll be there soon! About three-ish!”
The word part “-ish” (pronounced like fish, but without the f) is a light-hearted way to indicate approximately or almost. In the example above, the friend might be there before or after 3 o’ clock. This is definitely a more casual part of speech, but it can be appropriate in all settings. Often it’s used to get a laugh, as well. Have fun looking for examples!
Speaking of fun, here’s a funny word used for the absolute worst of circumstances. When a situation is really, really bad, we call it a “dumpster fire”.
When we throw away garbage or rubbish, we say we “dump it”. A dumpster is a large garbage bin used by businesses. Now imagine a dumpster being on fire. It’s not a good look or smell.
Note two things about “dumpster fire” - One, people use this phrase when they know the situation is bad, but they are also trying to make themselves and others laugh a little bit so that they can cope. Also, “dumpster fire” isn’t generally used to refer to people or objects. It usually refers to entire events. It’s also often used in memes.
Thanks for reading! Talk soon!
One last thing - Here are the results of my experiment with the subscription-only podcast episode from the other day. To get the full podcast feed after you become a paying subscriber, you’ll have to follow a few steps. You’ll have to do this even if you are currently subscribed to the public podcasting feed. Here’s what to do:
First, in a browser (on a desktop or mobile device) -
Navigate to winningenglish.substack.com
In the upper right-hand corner, there should be small “arrowhead” pointing down. Click on it.
Click on “My Account”
Under “Private podcast feed:”, click on “Click here to set up your podcasting app.”
You can close the browser now.
Then, on your mobile device -
Open your email app.
Open the email from Winning English labeled “Podcast app setup”.
Click on “Add to podcast app”.
Choose your favorite app.
Note - If you are already subscribed to the public version of the podcast, you might have to unsubscribe and re-start your phone. (I had to do this during my testing, unfortunately.)
Thanks, and happy listening!